Christmas

I love Christmas — the lights, the time spent with family and friends, the kinship. One of my favorite parts of the season is picking out a tree with my husband and son and decorating it. The ornaments we use on our tree remind of us shared experiences and represent what the holiday season means to us. This year, Macy’s sent me a beautiful white snowflake made by the artists who craft metalwork pieces for the Macy’s Heart of Haiti line.

My home has beautiful Haitian artwork in each room, and this ornament, just like my my other pieces, is more than just home decor. It gives hope thanks to a sustainable business model that has created economic empowerment for Haitian artists following the devastating 2010 earthquake and more recently, Hurricane Matthew that devastated parts of the island in October of this year.

With each piece I purchase to use in my home, I’m giving back and promoting trade-not-aid that helps support 550 artisans while benefitting an extended 4,500 family members! That not only makes me feel good about every purchase I have made, but also encourages me to give my friends and family gifts from the Macy’s Heart of Haiti line every year.

The Macy’s Heart of Haiti Story

Haiti is a country rich in the arts. When the earthquake hit in 2010, Macy’s made the bold decision to carry a product line made by local artisans. Shortly after the earthquake, the infrastructure did not even exist to house or even ship goods. Today, seven years later, Macy’s continues to sell the products, with a full assortment of beautiful handcrafted items available at macys.com and select stores. It is a sustainable economic model that has proven successful time and time again.

In Haiti, the average daily income is around $1.00 a day. The handcrafted wares the artisans create and sell through the Macy’s Heart of Haiti directly benefits them financially. It enables them to repair their homes, pay school fees for their children, and feed and clothe their families. Steady income means better nutrition, improved education, and access to healthcare. The Macy’s Heart of Haiti program continues its goal of helping Haitian artisans achieve economic empowerment through the sale of their handcrafted goods. (Artisans receive a percentage of the retail price for each item in the collection.)

Artists have the opportunity to collaborate with US designers, strengthening artisan associations (like the Artisans Business Network), while inspiring and energizing their communities. Haitian men and women are working together, gaining confidence and hope for the future. Master artisans who planned to leave the country are now staying behind to train the next generation. Macy’s Heart of Haiti is one effort in bolstering the tradition of rich and unique Haitian art.

Every time you make a purchase, you have an opportunity to make a difference. Buying products like Macy’s Heart of Haiti that give hope and employment to artists is a way to make sure your hard-earned dollars are making a difference.

Heart of Haiti FAQ’s

All products are available on macys.com/Haiti as part of the Gifts that Give Hope Collection.

Haiti has an estimated 400,000 artisans who rely solely on their handcrafted goods as a source of income. No other sector of employment even approaches such numbers.

Macy’s Heart of Haiti employs 550 artisans while benefitting an extended 4,500 family members

Disclosure: I was gifted a product from the Macy’s Heart of Haiti line however all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

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I love nothing more at Christmas than sitting down in front of a roaring fire, Christmas lights twinkling on the tree and a glass of eggnog in hand. Most of my family has always outlawed “real” eggnog, you know, the kind you make at home and lace heavily with bourbon or brandy. It wasn’t so much the booze as it was the “raw eggs will kill you” speech I received every year. I wanted nothing more than to live out my fantasy of whipping up a bunch of eggs, milk, cream, and spices into a heady milk concoction mean to test even the least lactose intolerant persons digestive system.

That changed after I had a home of my own, a husband with a stomach made of cast iron, and learned how to pasteurize eggs. I’ve been through a lot of egg nog recipes, and my favorite that I’ve made every year since meeting my friend Amy of Bonta Toscana food is the recipe from the Capital Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas. This recipe is balanced, perfect with, or without, your favorite libation and always a party pleaser.

Eggnog is technically a stirred custard. You could add it into an ice cream maker if it’s sans booze. Alcohol won’t allow freezing of the mixture. Many culinary anthropologists believe eggnog descended from posset. This late-medieval concoction was composed of hot milk and booze and enhanced with the spices on hand. Samuel Peyp’s used to have an annual “Stone Feast” every year and this drink was on the menu in 1663.

My eggnog is made and in the fridge, as I like it aged. (Thank you, Alton Brown.) I make sure that what I have on hand for me and my husband is 40% alcohol to help prevent any gastrointestinal issues. That being said, don’t serve it to any one with a compromised immune system or elderly unless you’ve used shell pasteurized eggs. (You can find these in the grocery store.)

Eggnog from the Capital Hotel in Little Rock

Recipe Type: christmas, holiday, beverage

Author: Lisa

Trim the tree and get in the holiday spirit with a cup of homemade eggnog from the Capital Hotel in Little Rock.

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The holidays are in full swing and baking has been the last thing on my mind. Thankfully Pinterest is here for me when I need ideas in a flash. I rounded up some quick and easy Christmas treats I’ll be baking this weekend to fill tins to deliver to family and friends.

Christmas Treats for Giving or Eating

Rum balls are easy, pretty and delicious. The perfect little bites of boozy goodness that are off limits to the kids, so you will always have a stash. They’re my Dad’s favorite and this recipe from Alexandra’s Kitchen is on my list of must-have’s this holiday season.
Peanut butter cookies are always super easy. Sweetopia has a cut-out version of peanut butter cookies that will tempt your taste buds and make easy work in the kitchen this Christmas.
Cookies from a cake mix are super easy. Sally’s Baking Addiction Confetti Cake Batter Cookies are exploding with green, red, and white sprinkles. These cookies are perfect for this Christmas holiday.
White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge – a decadent, but easy, fudge recipe perfect for the season.
Chocolate sugar cookies will give me a needed chocolate fix in snowman form. I’ll add silver and gold sprinkles to create festive cookies for everyone on my delivery list.
It’s a well known fact that sour cream sugar cookies melt in your mouth and taste even better when coated in sprinkles and dunked in milk.
I’m not much of one to decorate for Christmas, but I’ll be trying my hand with this handy how-to guide from The Kitchn. Will these be Instgram worthy cookies? Only if you’re looking for tasty laughs.
I’d love to try our your favorite Christmas treats. Tell me about them, or drop a link in the comments! Do you need more Christmas treats ideas? Check out my Pinterest board filled with goodies guaranteed to tempt your taste buds.

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Ahhh… Christmas. Tis the season for long lines, parking lots which guarantee 10k steps before 9am, and hostile, sweaty folks wearing sequined festive sweaters who just want to “get out of this madhouse.” I feel the stress all over my entire body, so that led to me search for Christmas stress relief that is do-able, won’t hurt my credit cards, and will restore my peace of mind.

In 1967, psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe decided to study whether or not stress contributes to illness. This led to the creation of the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale. Select which of the 43 life events have affected you in the previous two years and tally up your score. Two Christmases is an automatic 24 points, which is why Christmas Stress Relief is essential. (This also explains why everyone goes back to work sick after Christmas.)

Christmas Stress Relief 101

1. Take a walk. Walking is the be all end of all of stress relief and my favorite. I slip on my sneakers and hit the road and my stress level dictates my speed. Some days it’s a casual stroll, others I’m an 80’s power walker looking to “feel the burn.”

2. Meditate while standing in line. The line is how long? You’ve been waiting what? Take a deep breath and allow your body to relax with each one. Feel your muscles loosen and stress melt away. If that doesn’t work, picture everyone you meet dressed like an elf and dancing for Santa.

3. Skip the party. Do you dread the influx of holiday invites to celebrate the season with 50 of your closest acquaintances? It’s okay to say no. Don’t decide not to go after you’ve RSVP’d yes unless it’s a true emergency. There are only so many emergencies in life.

4. Ignore the dust bunnies. Friends don’t care about dust bunnies.

5. Cut back on gift giving. Spending time with the people I love is much more satisfying than opening another sweater I will never wear. Happiness does not come from an avalanche of gifts.

6. Shop online. While I’m a huge proponent of shopping local, nothing makes me happier during Christmas than UPS, Fed-Ex, and the US Postal Service pulling up to my front door and dropping off packages I ordered pants-less.

7. Drink decaf. Coffee is my everything. However, the caffeine in it raises your heart rate, dehydrates and can give you the jitters. I’m trying to take my own advice and avoid the my afternoon caffeine fixes and leave it to early mornings. That being said, a warm cup of decaf at night with a couple of Christmas cookies hits the spot.

8. Avoid excess alcohol consumption. Like coffee, alcohol dehydrates, but it also makes your liver work overtime to process it. I like to stick with sparkling water when I’m at holiday parties and leave the cocktails to evenings in with my husband.

9. Keep your healthy habits. The holidays means parties with rich food, eggnog, cocktails, and enough sweet stuff to make your dentist dream about buying a new car. Staying healthy means sticking to those healthy habits we keep during the year, so make sure you get plenty sleep, exercise, and clean eating.

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Meet Lisa

Lisa Frame is an over-achieving Southern gal with a knack for Pinterest and making people laugh. She writes about life, food, culture and travel. Lisa is a very amateur photographer, voracious reader, wanna-be neat freak, and closeted crafter.